Tyler Ritter

"Painkiller" on Netflix tells the tale of how one family established a business that aided in the outbreak of the opioid crisis and how they managed to avoid real consequences for a long time in the midst of continuing legal challenges. The limited series, which premiered on September 10th, is based on Patrick Radden Keefe's book "The Family That Built an Empire of Pain" and Barry Meier's book "Pain Killer: An Empire of Deceit and the Origins of America's Opioid Epidemic," both chronicled how Purdue Pharma — led by the Sackler family — mistook the truth about their drug OxyContin. "Painkiller" is a scripted series, but it is closely related to true events as it follows the Sackler family's empire's rise and fall. The bulk of the series's main characters are fictional, including Edie Flowers (Uzo Aduba), a Virginia lawyer who, in the series, plays a key role in the Sacklers' reign. Glen Kryger, a fictional mechanic who gets addicted to opioids after an accident, and a third centers West Duchovny as Shannon Shaeffer, another one of the main plotlines.

Painkiller, Netflix's latest drama about the emergence of OxyContin in the United States in the 1990s, premiered on August 10. The story is a fictional retelling of Richard Sackler's Purdue Pharma company's rise during the country's opioid crisis, which continues to this day. Several lawsuits and fines have been filed in connection with Purdue Pharma's drug use, including paying $600 million in 2007 after pled guilty to misleading the public about OxyContin's danger of heroin use.